These comments are based on the studio recording released on the album "Uprising". Other recordings differ in minor details.
Form
The intro consists of a four bar phrase repeated twice. This tune is not heard again as if the composer has so many tunes that this perfectly good one can be cast aside.
The verse consists of four, four bar phrases.
The chorus has eleven bars. This rather odd length breaks down the regularity of the song. This is enhanced by the second appearance of the chorus being extended to thirteen bars, and the third to seventeen bars.
The second and third verses have the same lyrics. Before the third verse and after the second chorus there is a middle eight of eight bars of rhythmic chords. The lyrics scan very freely and the syncopated rhythms make the declarations seem impassioned.
Outro is five bars and three beats long. It is reminiscent of the middle eight and builds to a sharp stabbed final chord on the third beat of the bar. One of the characteristics of reggae is an emphasis on the third beat of the bar - the "skank". We could speculate about why Bob Marley did this and if it is to do with his thoughts about the song's relationship both with reggae and with the American or English folk song genre.
The overall form is: Intro, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Middle-eight, Verse, Chorus, Outro.
Some Final Thoughts
This is a very unusual song; unusual for Bob Marley to be singing alone with his acoustic guitar, unusual in the lengths of the choruses. It begins with a very seldom heard disposable intro and finishes defiantly on an unusual beat. The song is literally a "song of freedom".
Friday, 17 April 2009
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Lady Gaga - "Just Dance"
Lyrics and theme
Evoking an enthusiastic evenings recreation at a night club the singer urges herself to dance. The vocals are heavily treated with auto-tuning, giving them a hard rasping edge, and also with reverb and a dub like echo, suggesting the altered frame of mind caused by adrenalin and alcohol.
Form
An instrumental version of the chorus is used for the intro. The first four bars are the lead synth riff which is then joined by two bars of base synth chords and then four bars where the drums are added. The rhythm is a two bar pattern alternating between four to the floor and back beat.
The verse is in two eight bar sections. In the first the tune has an AABA pattern, the second ABAB. The chorus bursts in and consists of eight bars. There is a single bar recovery before the next verse.
The second verse has a new lyric for the first section and repeats that of the first verse for the second section. There is no pause between the chorus and the third verse.
Surprisingly the tune for this verse is a quite distant variation on that of the first two verses. The two sections to the verse each consist of two pairs of two bar answering phrases.
There is a four bar pre-chorus where the drums are dropped, followed by the standard eight bar chorus. There is then a twenty bar breakdown, with its own four bar intro and two eight bar sections, before returning to pre-chorus and chorus. The chorus has an extra, higher, vocal track to mark the climax, a descant.
The outro is simply the single bar recovery we heard after the first chorus.
Overall the form is: Intro Verse Chorus Single-bar-recovery Verse Chorus Verse Pre-Chorus Chorus Breakdown Pre-Chorus Chorus Single-bar-recovery.
Some Final Thoughts
"Just Dance" has quite a complex form, considerable symetry and develops throughout. The first two verses set the scene after which we arrive at the dance floor for a medaly of songs within the song. In previous decades hedonistic dance music was much simpler. There is enough musical material here for several disco tracks. In those days you would have expected a number one single, particularly one which had extensive daytime radio play, to be dumbed down and middle of the road, if not a cynical manipulation of the public. "Just Dance" is more adventurous than this and more like an example of a specialist genre. It is ironic that Lady Gaga, who derives her surname from Queen's description of pap radio music, should be an example of how the Internet killed the radio gaga star.
Evoking an enthusiastic evenings recreation at a night club the singer urges herself to dance. The vocals are heavily treated with auto-tuning, giving them a hard rasping edge, and also with reverb and a dub like echo, suggesting the altered frame of mind caused by adrenalin and alcohol.
Form
An instrumental version of the chorus is used for the intro. The first four bars are the lead synth riff which is then joined by two bars of base synth chords and then four bars where the drums are added. The rhythm is a two bar pattern alternating between four to the floor and back beat.
The verse is in two eight bar sections. In the first the tune has an AABA pattern, the second ABAB. The chorus bursts in and consists of eight bars. There is a single bar recovery before the next verse.
The second verse has a new lyric for the first section and repeats that of the first verse for the second section. There is no pause between the chorus and the third verse.
Surprisingly the tune for this verse is a quite distant variation on that of the first two verses. The two sections to the verse each consist of two pairs of two bar answering phrases.
There is a four bar pre-chorus where the drums are dropped, followed by the standard eight bar chorus. There is then a twenty bar breakdown, with its own four bar intro and two eight bar sections, before returning to pre-chorus and chorus. The chorus has an extra, higher, vocal track to mark the climax, a descant.
The outro is simply the single bar recovery we heard after the first chorus.
Overall the form is: Intro Verse Chorus Single-bar-recovery Verse Chorus Verse Pre-Chorus Chorus Breakdown Pre-Chorus Chorus Single-bar-recovery.
Some Final Thoughts
"Just Dance" has quite a complex form, considerable symetry and develops throughout. The first two verses set the scene after which we arrive at the dance floor for a medaly of songs within the song. In previous decades hedonistic dance music was much simpler. There is enough musical material here for several disco tracks. In those days you would have expected a number one single, particularly one which had extensive daytime radio play, to be dumbed down and middle of the road, if not a cynical manipulation of the public. "Just Dance" is more adventurous than this and more like an example of a specialist genre. It is ironic that Lady Gaga, who derives her surname from Queen's description of pap radio music, should be an example of how the Internet killed the radio gaga star.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Lilly Allen - "The Fear"
Lyrics and vocals by Allen, music by Greg Kurstin.
Witty and acid the lyrics express shallow materialistic cynicism. Despite the slowly descending melody there is hubris, "yeah we're on to a winner", convincing her self of the truth of what she is saying.
Form
The first sounds are ambient bird song which quickly fades as the intro begins. Played on an acoustic guitar this consists of four bars of the verse and has a touch of synth and wind machine in the last bar.
Verse consists of four couplets, each line being two bars. The couplets are also paired up, the first half of the verse being gentle and in the relative minor key the second half in the dominant major key and much bolder. The melody, in the style of a recititive, is entirely subservient to the lyrics, the second half of the couplet answering the first and using the rhythm of ordinary speech.
The chorus, in the tonic key, is a typical modern chorus. It is the most intense part of the song, the verse having built up to it. After a deep breath the chorus bursts into life with the feeling of returning to the centre of the song. The verse is seemingly a diversion, filling in information supporting the idea summed up in the chorus. In contrast to the verse there is uncertainty and self doubt and it comes to its chilling conclusion that fear is driving this recklessness.
Then there is a four bar recapitulation of the intro calming the song down in preparation for the next verse. Next time round, after the second chorus, there is a bridge of eight bars, and after the third chorus, the outro. The bridge allows recovery from the chorus but is more active than the intro, the song having momentum by this stage.
After all the building up the eight bars of outro unwraps the music leaving the electric guitar and delay line. It ends on the second note of the scale and hangs, suspended, with no resolution. Wind machines add to the ominous conclusion. The overall form is: Intro Verse Chorus Intro Verse Chorus Bridge Verse Chorus Outro.
Some Final Thoughts
This song raises many questions. What is "the fear" the fear of? Allen is being sarcastic, but about who exactly? Is she being self-righteous? Is the song green? Is it a protest song? What about the excesses of Rock-and-Roll and your right to party, does it go that far? The song is about the absurdity of lavish consumption, so is this a post credit crunch song? Could you dance to this music? Am I the only person who thinks her lyrics are the best since Dylan? Or am I just happy to hear a young fashionable person who is articulate about the world around them? Or is it because I imagine it supports my hope that the credit crunch will lead to eco-Keynesianism and a saner, cleaner, better life?
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Nick Drake - "Day is Done"
Reflective and melancholic, this song, unusually for Nick Drake, has a lush string part by Robert Kirby. The rich treatment is appropriate to the theme of rueful frustration with the passage of time and human failings. The strings are high in the mix and the normally intimate acoustic guitar and voice are pushed back, at times sounding like private mutterings and head shaking.
Form
The form is simple except for the second and penultimate verses which have ten bars instead of eight, and five lines rather than four. There is no chorus. The intro is an instrumental verse, initially finger picked folk guitar, the string arrangement, probably a quartet, augmenting from the seventh bar. There is a strident middle-eight after four verses. There is no modulation so the middle-eight does not function harmonically as a bridge. There is no outro, just a neat rallentando. The overall form is: intro verse long-verse verse verse middle-eight verse long-verse verse. The last verse has the same lyrics as the first.
There is both symmetry and variation to provide interest. Verse-chorus form is much more popular now than simple verse form, however this was less true in 1968. This song is all the better for the lack of chorus. The hook is so strong we don't really want to get away from it and we don't look for contrast but to sink deeper into the melancholy. The lyrics and melody are not ambiguous so there is no other hand to examine.
Having said that the middle-eight does provide a chance to clear the head and survey the surroundings and is, despite some pleading, quite bouncy. The strings' counterpoint treads on dangerously mawkish ground at times. It could be argued that they are unnecessary since the guitar playing is highly decorated and gives plenty of interest along the way. However in this section they really show their worth providing strength and sonority beyond the capabilities of the guitar.
Some Final Thoughts
If this was a Paul McCartney song John Lennon would be rolling his eyes if the strings were any more exposed. What would George Martin have done with this? We could probably expect a bit more restraint and more progression in the arrangement. Phil Spector, of course, would have had a choir come in for the last two verses and have had Nick Drake do the vocals over the phone from a cave.
I expect the song, being the fifth of ten on the album, was the last of the first side. The intention would be to leave a lasting impression, so that, with a sigh, you fumble with vinyl and stylus, still transported to the other world created by the composer.
Form
The form is simple except for the second and penultimate verses which have ten bars instead of eight, and five lines rather than four. There is no chorus. The intro is an instrumental verse, initially finger picked folk guitar, the string arrangement, probably a quartet, augmenting from the seventh bar. There is a strident middle-eight after four verses. There is no modulation so the middle-eight does not function harmonically as a bridge. There is no outro, just a neat rallentando. The overall form is: intro verse long-verse verse verse middle-eight verse long-verse verse. The last verse has the same lyrics as the first.
There is both symmetry and variation to provide interest. Verse-chorus form is much more popular now than simple verse form, however this was less true in 1968. This song is all the better for the lack of chorus. The hook is so strong we don't really want to get away from it and we don't look for contrast but to sink deeper into the melancholy. The lyrics and melody are not ambiguous so there is no other hand to examine.
Having said that the middle-eight does provide a chance to clear the head and survey the surroundings and is, despite some pleading, quite bouncy. The strings' counterpoint treads on dangerously mawkish ground at times. It could be argued that they are unnecessary since the guitar playing is highly decorated and gives plenty of interest along the way. However in this section they really show their worth providing strength and sonority beyond the capabilities of the guitar.
Some Final Thoughts
If this was a Paul McCartney song John Lennon would be rolling his eyes if the strings were any more exposed. What would George Martin have done with this? We could probably expect a bit more restraint and more progression in the arrangement. Phil Spector, of course, would have had a choir come in for the last two verses and have had Nick Drake do the vocals over the phone from a cave.
I expect the song, being the fifth of ten on the album, was the last of the first side. The intention would be to leave a lasting impression, so that, with a sigh, you fumble with vinyl and stylus, still transported to the other world created by the composer.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
The Bird and The Bee - "Again and Again"
The Bird and the Bee are Greg Kurstin and Inara George. Both are song writers, though Kurstin the most prolific. He co-write and produced the Lilly Allen album "It's Not Me, It's You".
Lyrics and theme
"Again and Again" is has a dreamy yet claustrophobic feel and an unstoppable cyclic drive to it. It contains opposite emotions experienced in a romance. "you'r so stupid and perfect", "I hate you ... Do it again", "It's easy and creepy". The theme being of falling in and out of love, of being trapped in a cycle of desire and repletion. Sometimes love seems like an illness, out of control and subject to innate ups and downs, but it is too nice and dreamy to do anything about it.
Form
As you would expect for a piece called "Again and Again" the form is simple and repetitive. There is a false opening on a piano. The real start begins with the chorus, at first just on the electric piano, then including breathy close up vocals. We will call this the intro since it is not a complete rendition of the chorus. The start of the verse signals the entry of the drums and rhythm acoustic guitar. The chorus and verse are repeated, followed by the middle-eight with eight bars of new material leading directly into an extended outro. The middle-eight is something of an interruption and breaks down to a halt. The outro recapitulates the intro and begins by building up the chorus starting with the electric piano just as before. In summary, the form is Intro Verse Chorus Verse Middle-eight Outro.
Subtleties
There are ambiguities, some of which, satisfyingly, are only resolved at the end. In the intro the electric piano is highly distorted and has a glossy twinkling short-wave-radio or ice-cream-van sound. There might be some cymbal rustling with it but it is hard to tell. When this is repeated in the outro there are definitely cymbals, or hissy percussion, so we probably did hear something in the intro. A tiny detail which rewards the curiosity of the listener.
In the outro the electric piano is very heavily treated with reverb and echo, could even be a xylophone and sounds extra-terrestrial. How far can this sound be pushed? It is then joined by swirling blurred out recorders only to lead into a distorted electric guitar strum and buzz which appears at the last. The buzz has an important role in connecting phrases in the verse together because it is tied over from one to the other. It could be a square wave synth down there in the mix, but only at the end is everything stripped off to reveal an electric guitar and fuzz box.
In the chorus the melody is like a march, C G F D, expressing tedium "again and again". The phrase ends with a giggly turn or appogitura. It is a 4 note turn which is much more fun than a simpler 3 note E-flat E E-flat and means that the lyric fits as a saucy "Do-o it again". On the keyboard the turn is E-flat E E E-flat (A-flat). This is confirmed in the promotional video featuring Kurstin and George. However the vocal is E-flat E-flat E E-flat (A-flat). Both are pretty hard to sing but the latter easier. This is very unusual, it would be so much simpler for the keyboard and vocal to be the same however this clash adds to the dreamy gloss and defocus.
Some Final Thoughts
On first listen, and because of the dreaminess of the song, the subtleties are not apparent, so are they important? I think, at least to the composer, they are. Squeezing every last bit from a song is part of the artistic flourish which makes creating music fun. Sometimes an eccentric choice is the right one and an impulsive madness is needed. In music, just as in love.
Lyrics and theme
"Again and Again" is has a dreamy yet claustrophobic feel and an unstoppable cyclic drive to it. It contains opposite emotions experienced in a romance. "you'r so stupid and perfect", "I hate you ... Do it again", "It's easy and creepy". The theme being of falling in and out of love, of being trapped in a cycle of desire and repletion. Sometimes love seems like an illness, out of control and subject to innate ups and downs, but it is too nice and dreamy to do anything about it.
Form
As you would expect for a piece called "Again and Again" the form is simple and repetitive. There is a false opening on a piano. The real start begins with the chorus, at first just on the electric piano, then including breathy close up vocals. We will call this the intro since it is not a complete rendition of the chorus. The start of the verse signals the entry of the drums and rhythm acoustic guitar. The chorus and verse are repeated, followed by the middle-eight with eight bars of new material leading directly into an extended outro. The middle-eight is something of an interruption and breaks down to a halt. The outro recapitulates the intro and begins by building up the chorus starting with the electric piano just as before. In summary, the form is Intro Verse Chorus Verse Middle-eight Outro.
Subtleties
There are ambiguities, some of which, satisfyingly, are only resolved at the end. In the intro the electric piano is highly distorted and has a glossy twinkling short-wave-radio or ice-cream-van sound. There might be some cymbal rustling with it but it is hard to tell. When this is repeated in the outro there are definitely cymbals, or hissy percussion, so we probably did hear something in the intro. A tiny detail which rewards the curiosity of the listener.
In the outro the electric piano is very heavily treated with reverb and echo, could even be a xylophone and sounds extra-terrestrial. How far can this sound be pushed? It is then joined by swirling blurred out recorders only to lead into a distorted electric guitar strum and buzz which appears at the last. The buzz has an important role in connecting phrases in the verse together because it is tied over from one to the other. It could be a square wave synth down there in the mix, but only at the end is everything stripped off to reveal an electric guitar and fuzz box.
In the chorus the melody is like a march, C G F D, expressing tedium "again and again". The phrase ends with a giggly turn or appogitura. It is a 4 note turn which is much more fun than a simpler 3 note E-flat E E-flat and means that the lyric fits as a saucy "Do-o it again". On the keyboard the turn is E-flat E E E-flat (A-flat). This is confirmed in the promotional video featuring Kurstin and George. However the vocal is E-flat E-flat E E-flat (A-flat). Both are pretty hard to sing but the latter easier. This is very unusual, it would be so much simpler for the keyboard and vocal to be the same however this clash adds to the dreamy gloss and defocus.
Some Final Thoughts
On first listen, and because of the dreaminess of the song, the subtleties are not apparent, so are they important? I think, at least to the composer, they are. Squeezing every last bit from a song is part of the artistic flourish which makes creating music fun. Sometimes an eccentric choice is the right one and an impulsive madness is needed. In music, just as in love.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
